Blog

Sunday's Results

Ohio State 68, Illinois 55Deshaun Thomas scored 19 points Sunday to lead the No. 14 Buckeyes over Illinois 68-55 and keep alive their Big Ten title hopes. The victory put Ohio State (23-7, 13-5) in position to grab a share of the conference title if No. 7 Michigan can win at home against No. 2 Indiana later on Sunday. The Buckeyes are assured the No. 2 seed in next week's Big Ten tournament at Chicago's United Center. Brandon Paul scored 21 points for Illinois (21-11, 8-10), which is guaranteed the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Aaron Craft added 14 points and six assists while creating his usual havoc on defense. Lenzelle Smith Jr. had 10 points. RECAP

Wisconsin 63, Penn State 60Maybe Traevon Jackson made his buzzer-beating 3-pointer because Penn State forgot he was left-handed. Or maybe it's because of the free run Jackson had to his spot on the left wing. What the Wisconsin guard cared about most was that the bucket allowed the 22nd-ranked Badgers to survive an upset scare from Penn State and win its regular-season finale 63-60 Sunday. "It felt good. When the shot comes off your hand like that ... I just kind of knew it was going to go in," the sophomore said coolly after the game, headphones draped around his neck. The Badgers (21-10, 12-6) escaped Happy Valley with a hard-fought victory against the Big Ten's last-place team and stopped a two-game losing streak that dropped them out of contention for the conference title. RECAP

Indiana 72, Michigan 71Cody Zeller squeezed the basketball as the final seconds ticked off the clock, sealing Indiana's first outright Big Ten title in two decades. It was a fitting finish, for sure. Because without some huge plays by their 7-foot center, the second-ranked Hoosiers would've had to share the conference championship. Zeller made a go-ahead layup with 13 seconds left and altered Trey Burke's shot at the other end, lifting Indiana to a 72-71 victory over No. 7 Michigan on Sunday. After falling out of bounds on the final sequence, Zeller got up quickly and gave teammate Christian Watford someone to save the ball to at the end. "We've been working on that all year - closing out games," said Zeller, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds. RECAP

Michigan State 71, Northwestern 61This was one Big Ten title coach Tom Izzo could live without. Needing help from rival Michigan for a chance to share the conference crown, No. 10 Michigan State instead settled for second place. The Spartans beat Northwestern 71-61 on Sunday night, but they'd already been eliminated from the championship race when Indiana beat the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. "Sure, I would have liked to have another Big Ten championship, but I like getting them when I earn them," Izzo said. "I don't need anybody else earning them for me." Keith Appling scored 16 points and Gary Harris added 12 for the Spartans, who struggled to put away the undermanned Wildcats. Northwestern (13-18, 4-14 Big Ten) rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit, tying the game at 51 before the Spartans recovered. RECAP